The Dead Don't Hurt

There are only two special features attached to Viggo Mortensen's ambitious western/romance: a collection of deleted scenes and a making-of documentary. The former are all good quality and add interest for fans of the film. They capture pertinent character moments, though one can understand why, in order to manage the running time and tighten up the pace, they were excised. The documentary, however, is a cut above what we have come to expect in this context.

It appears, like many, to have been assembled from whatever was lying around, with the writer/director/star interviewed in multiple languages (of which he has impressive command). There's a bit of repetition, as one would expect in that situation, but overall it comes together well, and it is exceedingly thorough. Not only do we get extensive interviews with Morton and his co-stars, but we get to hear from members of the crew, each with their own particular insights to bring.

As we have often noted here at Eye For Film, good audio work is essential to a successful film, and often makes all the difference to viewers' ability to immerse themselves within it - but how often does one get to hear from a sound designer? For anybody who actually works in film, there are rare and valuable insights here, whilst other viewers will have their understanding of cinema enriched. The same might be said of the focus on the film's horse trainer, who addresses vital but frequently overlooked aspects of what is needed to make a western convincing, and who seems to have doubled as a source of emotional support for the hardworking director.

Detail like this can often make such a documentary feel dry, but the obvious enthusiasm all these people feel about the production is very engaging, and one gets a clear sense of how they worked together as a team, Vicky Krieps recalling her fondness for sharing fires at night. Furthermore, the whole thing is well structured, with lots of footage of the crew at work, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of horses, costumes etc. Where footage from the film itself is used, it's varied and doesn't repeat. There are no real spoilers (apart from the one that comes right at the start of the film), so you can watch the contents of this disc in any order without diminishing your experience.

Overall, a carefully created package like this is much more rewarding that one overflowing with less considered snippets of film-adjacent material. There's a lot to enjoy about The Dead Don't Hurt, and this adds to that experience considerably.